George Andersen, Former Minnesota Lottery Director

Minnesota State Lottery Director George Andersen died at the age of 53 on January 27, 2004, leaving his mark indelibly on his family, friends, and the Lottery that he ran successfully for more than 14 years.

Andersen, the first and only Lottery director in Minnesota, was appointed by former Gov. Rudy Perpich in 1989. He was the second most senior lottery director in the nation and was widely regarded as brilliant and knowledgeable in his field. A Pennsylvania native, he first served as deputy executive director of the Pennsylvania Lottery.

Under his leadership, the Lottery contributed $1.1 billion in accumulative Lottery proceeds to six Minnesota programs, chief among them the General Fund and the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. Andersen was a pioneer and leader in many Lottery innovations.

He was president of the executive board of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), which oversees Powerball, from Jan. 5, 1993 until June 30, 1994.

In addition to MUSL, Andersen was president of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries from 1998-1999.

On June 17, 1999, Andersen received the 1999 Major Peter J. O'Connell Lifetime Lottery Achievement Award from Public Gaming Research Institute (PGRI).

Andersen was a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and The Dickinson School of Law.

Andersen, who lived in White Bear Lake, is survived by his wife Darlene and grown children, Mark and Beth.

We'd love to see your comments here! Register for a FREE membership — it takes just a few moments — and you'll be able to post comments here and on any of our forums. If you're already a member, you can Log In to post a comment.

Considering the circumstances, the lottery should not have been emphasized in his obituary at all. How embarassing it will be if the pending audit reveals corruption! I would have shied away from mentioning it in the obituary.